We’re following a disturbing turn for Build a Rocket Boy. According to Insider Gaming, the studio has officially appointed administrators, a move that fans and industry watchers have been fearing after recent staff cuts and public drama.
What Was Reported
Per Insider Gaming, a filing was added to Build a Rocket Boy’s official UK government account confirming the appointment of administrators. The report notes that when administrators are appointed it removes those in charge while the appointees determine whether the company can be sold, liquidated, or shut down. The official document is said to be made available within ten days.
This development follows “just over a week” after another round of layoffs hit the studio, and Insider Gaming quotes an HR staffer, Dan Hawkins, saying: “I will be seeing BARB through until the very end, helping to wrap things up here in the HR department.” Take this with a pinch of salt, but the sequence — layoffs then administration — paints a worrying picture if true.
The Source & Credibility
Insider Gaming is the only outlet named as the source for these developments. The site’s coverage includes details about the government filing and the HR comment, and it frames the administrator appointment as an escalation after recent staff cuts. We’re treating these reports with cautious attention: the appointment of administrators is a formal process, but the final public document and further confirmations remain pending per the report.
Additional claims in the public record referenced by Insider Gaming are factual in nature within the piece: that Build a Rocket Boy was founded in 2016 by former Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies; that the studio originally worked on an MMO and creation platform called Everywhere alongside the game Mindseye; that all references to Everywhere were removed from the studio’s website by May 2025; and that Mindseye was released on June 10 and was widely panned.
Insider Gaming also reports more sensational internal claims tied to the studio: that Benzies alleged the studio and its game were being sabotaged by a €1 million smear campaign, and that internal threats existed of making those alleged saboteurs targets in a Hitman-like mission. We are flagging these as serious accusations reported by Insider Gaming and treating them accordingly — they are extraordinary claims that warrant corroboration.
What It Could Mean
If the appointment of administrators is accurate, the immediate consequence is that decision-making at Build a Rocket Boy will shift to those appointed to evaluate the studio’s future. Per the filing description reported by Insider Gaming, that could include selling the company, liquidating assets, or shutting down operations. Exactly what path is taken will depend on the administrators’ findings and any interested parties that might surface.
For the studio’s public projects, the report offers a fragile timeline of events: the removal of Everywhere references, the poor reception of Mindseye, and multiple rounds of layoffs. Taken together, if true, these elements could explain why the
